Uncle's Farm
by Miss Moon Bunny
Summary: After her uncle left his farm, she decided she'd like to get a bit of fresh air out in the country. So she moves onto the farm and begins a new life in Mineral Town. Will she meet the love of her life in this quaint, little town? [OCx?]
1. Let's Be Friends! part 1

Miki: Herroooo!

-in walks Jack- (Miki: Me gonna call him YJ!)

YJ: What happened to ME---?! Huh---?!

Miki: Your show's been cancelled.

YJ: What are you talking about---?!

Miki: You heard me. I got a new actor. If you have a problem with this, go talk to her -points at "lawyer"-

Lawyer (Tae Hee in disguise! Heehee): Look buddy, don't get mad at me. I mean, you're still in the actual games...

YJ: o.o

Lawyer: And to keep YOU guys from killing my client... Uh... Miki doesn't own the Harvest Moon franchise n.n

Miki: Nope, but I'm okies with that n.n

(Note: There will be some Korean in here. I'll put the translations at the end of the chapters. If you have a better idea, please let me know.)

**Day 2---Sunday, 23rd day of Spring---7:18 AM**

_Omoni,_

_Yesterday was my first day here on the farm. When I got to Mineral Town, the mayor came and greeted me. He told me that after Ajushi left, no one had taken care of the farm. There was a lot of debris lying around the farm. It seemed like the day went by very quickly. I got most of it done. Everything except the boulders and tree stumps that I couldn't break. Maybe there is a stronger tool? Either way, it was a pretty productive day for me. Today I am planning on meeting new people. I hope they are friendly. Sorry that there isn't much to report yet._

_Love,_

_Tae Hee_

She folded the letter and put it into a small, orange envelope. She slipped on her shoes and went outside. The air outside was cool and crisp. It was exciting for her to be out there in the country. After growing up in a highly populated city like Seoul, it was nice to take a break out here.

For longer than she could possibly remember, her uncle had owned this farm. At the age of eighty-three, he decided that he could no longer take care of a whole farm by himself. Several people had offered to help him with it, but he knew that in a few years he would most likely die anyhow.

A couple of years later, his niece, Tae Hee Seo (Suh), decided that she would like to visit her uncle's farm. She had not been there since she was a child, but she was sure she would still love it—and of course, she does.

It was just as she remembered it. Well, except for a few holes in the barn and maybe a shingle or two that had fallen off the roof during a storm most likely. Otherwise, the farm was in pretty good shape.

After her reminiscing, she put the letter in her mailbox.

**8:55 AM**

She had been wandering around town and enjoying her new surroundings when she saw a man standing outside by some gravestones. She assumed that the building next to it was a church. She shyly approached him and said, "Umm... hello, sir."

He turned around and smiled at her. "Oh, hello. You are... Tae Hee, right?" She nodded her head. "No need to be afraid. For I bear the word of God!" She looked at him nervously. He grasped her hands and said, "Do not be afraid for the Lord is with you!"

She blinked as a drop of rain fell on her nose. _I sure hope he isn't quite that devoted... _She chuckled a little. _It might be kind of funny though. _Carter must've noticed that it was beginning to rain because he glanced up at the sky. In doing so, he also noticed Tae Hee standing there. He smiled at her and said, "Oh, hello. You are... Tae Hee, right?" She nodded her head. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Carter. I am the pastor of this church. Feel free to attend my sermons." He glanced at his watch and said, "I'm terribly sorry, but I should probably go get ready now. I hope to see you soon." She smiled shyly and bowed. "Take care," he said before he entered the church.

After that, she walked cheerfully to the clinic. _I wonder if the other people here are as friendly as him? He seemed very nice._

**9:08 AM**

When she arrived at the clinic, she saw a girl standing in front of a little boy. She quietly walked up behind them and saw that the boy had a bug and was showing it to the girl. The girl did not appear to like the bug very much though. She scolded him and he ran behind Tae Hee. She glanced at him as the other girl apologized. "I'm sorry. Stu!" The boy, apparently named Stu, pouted.

"Aww, Elli... Hey, what about you? Do you like bugs?" She looked about startled. She nodded her head slightly. "They're alright..."

"See Elli! She likes bugs!" He stuck his tongue out at her and ran off. Elli sighed. Tae Hee looked a bit worried and said, "I'm sorry if I did something wrong..." Elli looked at her and said, "Of course not! Besides, he's just a little boy. I hope he grows out of this bug thing one day though..." Tae Hee couldn't help but giggle a little.

Then a man came in from the other room and asked, "Who's this?"

"I'm Tae Hee," she replied. "I hope you don't mind me dropping by..."

"Of course not. That's Elli there, and I'm the doctor here. Do you want me to give you a quick check-up while you're here?"

"No, but thank you for the offer. I need to get going, but maybe another day," she said. He nodded in understanding.

"Alright, but be sure to come by if you're ever feeling sick."

"Okay. Take care you two."

_Elli seems sweet, and that little boy Stu seems to be a bit of a rascal _-chuckle- _Aren't all little boys? The doctor was pretty nice too, I guess._

**9:30 AM**

_Off to the Inn! _She was abounding with joy as she made her way towards the large inn. As she opened the door, she saw a girl with orange hair and a man. When the girl spotted her, she grinned and bounded over.

"Hello! You must be Tae Hee!" She smiled and nodded. _She's so cheerful! _"I'm Ann! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Yes, it is also a pleasure to meet you."

"Well, I have to go clean the rooms now. Maybe we can chat some more another time. Bye!" She watched as Ann sped up the stairs. _She must be really outgoing! It must be nice to be at such ease when meeting new people._

"Hey," the man said. "My name's Doug. Ann's my daughter. If you're not busy later, come by and have a drink. The whole town's gathering tonight, so it'll be a good chance to meet everyone."

"O-okay," she stuttered. _I hope they won't get too tipsy..._ She then went outside.

**9:46 AM**

_Wow, it's not even ten yet! I wonder what I will do for the rest of the day. _As she was pondering this she decided to stop by the blacksmith and ask about a new tool or something that she could use to break those stumps and boulders in her field.

The blacksmith's shop was very hot inside because of the furnace. Looking around, she saw a rather elderly man closely examining a necklace. As he carefully scrutinized every detail of the necklace, the boy standing next to him—who she assumed had made it—stared at his feet with a gloomy expression plastered on his face. She was about to leave when the boy coughed and murmured to the elderly man that there was a customer waiting. He looked up and said, "Oh, sorry about that. What can I do for you?"

"Well... I was wondering what it would take for me to break some of those stumps and boulders in my field. I couldn't seem to do anything to them with just my hammer and axe."

"I see. You will need an upgrade in order to do that. But first, you'll have to get some ore from the mine over by the hot spring. It shouldn't be hard to find though. Once you do that, come back with some money and the ore and I'll upgrade it for you."

"I see. Thank you very much, sir. Oops, I'm sorry," she blushed. "I didn't introduce myself. My name is Tae Hee."

"Ah, I didn't think I recognized you. I'm Saibara. This is my grandson, Gray."

She bowed and said, "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you. Well, I must be going. Take care!" She waved as she left the shop.

**10:30 AM**

Now back on her farm, she sighed as she entered her house and laid down on her bed. She wasn't really sure what to do. She figured it would be better to wait and meet everyone later that night at the inn and maybe have a sip of wine to drink. So seeing as she had nothing better to do, she took a long nap.

**3:24 PM**

-Knock! Knock! Knock!- Startled by the noise, she awoke and looked at her clock. _3:24 PM? Wow, I slept for a long time! I guess it's good whoever it is woke me up. _She stumbled out of bed and adjusted her clothing. When she opened the door she saw a burly looking man standing there.

"I'm Zack and I'll take care of any shipments," he said.

"Shipments...?" she questioned.

"When you grow crops, you can put them in that shipment bin over there and I'll ship them for you. Of course, I'll give you the money for them as well. If you have any animals either and they lay eggs or produce milk or wool, I'll ship those too. There are shipment bins in the chicken coop and barn."

"Okay. Thank you. I might not have very much to ship right now..."

"No problem. Oh, and don't forget, I'll come by every day around 5:00 PM. If you put anything in after that, I won't ship it until the next day." He then left the farm.

_Now that I think about it, I will have to make some money, won't I? I only have 500g right now... I sure wish I had been able to bring more to start out with. Spring is almost over, so I won't have hardly any time to grow crops. I guess I'll have to find some other things in the mountains._

She then glanced at her clock again. _Almost four, eh? Maybe I should go take a dip in the hot spring. That'd be nice and relaxing, and I wouldn't mind getting rid of some of this sweat..._

**4:07 PM**

The hot spring was nice and well... hot. It was very relaxing. Her muscles had been pretty sore from all the work she had done the previous day, so the heat made them feel much better. "Ah..." she sighed. "This is great... I wonder why we didn't go to the hot spring more at home?"

An hour later she decided she should probably get out because it was getting late and if she stayed much longer, she might get a chill. She dried herself off and got dressed. Slinging her rucksack onto her back, she made her way to the inn. _It's probably too early, but I have nothing else to do really, so I guess it's okay._

**5:41 PM**

She entered the inn and saw Ann cleaning up some of the tables. Doug wasn't behind the counter like he had been earlier that day. _Perhaps he's working in the back or something._ Tae Hee shyly went up to Ann and began a conversation with her.

"So... you work here?" she asked.

"Yup! You're a farmer, right?"

"Y-yes..." she blushed, hoping that Ann wouldn't think it was odd.

"That's pretty neat, ya know? I'm not much of a farmer myself though. I guess I just don't quite have the green thumb." She laughed at herself and Tae Hee, slightly unsure as to whether or not she should, laughed a little.

"I'm glad I can help out my dad though. It's fun, too." Ann smiled as she said this.

"It's nice that you're so helpful to your father. In Korean families, it is very important to show respect towards your parents and elderly figures."

"It's so neat that you're from a different culture. As you can see, our town isn't all that diverse..."

"But everyone is so nice here! It doesn't matter that it isn't diverse. I have a feeling this will become something like home to me. At least, I hope so." She then blushed. _That probably sounded_—Her thoughts were cut off as Ann grinned.

"You bet'cha! Maybe we'll be like sisters!" Ann draped an arm around Tae Hee and said, "Don't you think so, Dad?" Tae Hee saw Doug walking over to the counter.

"I'm sure you will." He smiled and began to wipe some glasses. "Hey Ann, I need you to wash some dishes for me. Would you mind?"

"Of course not! I'll see you later Tae Hee!" she waved goodbye as she went into the back room.

**7:53 PM**

People would soon be coming to the inn to drink and be merry. Up until now, she had been playing with the yellow cat that usually lingered by the rooms on the second floor. It was a cute cat that purred a lot when it wanted attention. Although she wasn't completely sure, she decided that the cat was a boy, so she named him Yong Joon—YJ for short.

As she continued to pet the cat, people began to slowly stream in from outside. The first was a man that looked like he was ready to climb a mountain. His name was Basil. Apparently he was very interested in plants. _I guess it makes sense when you think about his name. _Then Saibara came in. She also met the town's policeman, Harris. _I bet it's boring for him. There can't be any crime around here, can there? But it doesn't hurt I guess..._ There was also a girl about her age that had come in.

The girl looked at her and waved. "Hey, my name's Karen. Tae Hee, right?" She nodded. _I guess word spreads pretty fast around here. Everyone knew my name before I even got here I bet. _"I work at the supermarket. My dad's Jeff and he runs it. My mom's Sasha and she helps out some too. Stop by tomorrow and maybe I can give you a pack of seeds to start you out."

"Oh no, please, I can't."

"Yes you can. Now don't forget to come by. I'm sure my dad won't mind."

"Thank you so much, Karen!" She smiled. Karen went back to drinking her wine as Tae Hee walked off to go home.

**8:49 PM**

_Today was lots of fun. I hope that tomorrow will be too. I still have some more people to meet too. Better get lots of rest then! _She pulled the blankets up to her chin and went into a peaceful sleep after an exciting day.

_**End of Day 1/The First Chapter**_

I hope you liked the first chapter! I'm not sure if all of the chapters will actually take place over the course of an entire day, but this one did anyway. I would appreciate reviews, but if not, it's okies n.n I've got patience. (I think lol)

**Translations and other notes:**

**Omoni means "mother" in Korean**

**Ajushi means "uncle" in Korean; not to be confused with father**—**which I won't give you right now (wouldn't want to confuse you with all this Korean mumbo jumbo lol)**

**Jack (YJ) is not the cat—they just wound up sharing a name XD (Note: Jack is up at the top with me before the story started... n.n)**

So yeah, it's midnight here... o.o Bad Miki! T.T -runs off to bed-

(Next day)

Umm... in the next chapter she'll probably just meet everyone. I don't think there'll be a cliffhanger or anything, so don't worry about that and umm... well, that's it really.

Ciao!


	2. Let's Be Friends! part 2

**EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTE:**

**My new pen name is "Miss Moon Bunny", so please make sure to change any links or such, and remember the new name n.n (Sorry for the sudden change...)**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Acknowledgements:

**koryu uchiha** _(The Lovely Reviewer)_: Thank you very much for being my first reviewer! I don't usually get reviews at lol. -glomps them- Hooray!

**-x-Taylor-x- **_(The Cheery Reviewer): _Thank you very much for being my second reviewer! Heh, you're right! I did forget to mention that! -sweatdrop- If I can manage, I'll have a lil information up about her (the main character) and maybe I'll make a lil bonus chapter, seeing as Christmas and other holidays are coming up n.n (unfortunately, it won't be related to the story--I don't think!)

As previously stated, reviews are nice, but don't feel obligated to review n.n

Thank you again,

The Author

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 2: Let's Be Friends! (Part 2)**

_Tagline: I will forever cherish these people!_

**Miss Moon Bunny/The Author: **I am planning on going back and editing bits and pieces of the first chapter. Don't worry about re-reading it though. (I think I might leave it the way it is for the sake of not having to change every lil thing in it -shrug-) You see, I had certain... ambitions, of sorts, which I decided I didn't want to do now. What I mean is, I was going to start every chapter with a letter--I'm not going to do that now. I also think that (somehow) I am going to give Tae Hee a different name. Er, not exactly a "different" name--you know, like an English name. (I'll make it work! -sparkles in eyes-) I hope that you will enjoy the new format! -huggles the readers-

-is smacked- MEANIES!

-some time later...-

I'm such a fickle person, aren't I? T-T NOOOOOO!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When she woke up it was 6:00 AM. The sun was already up. She yawned and tossed her blanket aside. The wood floor felt cool against her bare feet. She stretched and made her way to the table. The piece of bread lying there wasn't much, but it would do. She gobbled it up. Then she got ready for her day.

As she was putting her shoes on, she heard a whimper come from outside. _What was that? _She dashed outside to see what had made the pitiful sound. She walked around but couldn't find anything. She wondered if it was just her imagination. _It was probably just the wind or something._

On her way to town she saw a small puppy. _Ah! So that's what it was! _She slowly walked towards it and said, "Are you alright?" Its tail suddenly began to move back and forth. Next thing she knew, a small mass of hair and energy was on top of her. "Ha ha, is that a yes?"

She picked the puppy up and cradled it in her arms. "Would you like to be my puppy?" she asked it. Vigorously nodding its head, the puppy struggled to get out of her arms. She set it down on the ground and watched as it ran circles around her.

"Do you need a name?" she asked it. The dog 'nodded' its head at her. "Hmm..." she thought. "What about... Takaomi?" It yipped in pleasure at its new name and went around the farm like a bullet train. "Another yes? That's good. Well, I have to go now. Bye, Takaomi!" she waved goodbye to her newly found friend and made her way to her first destination--the store!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, I guess I'm here too early," she said aloud as she looked at the sign. "There's not much that I can do right now... Maybe I should go for a nice walk and get a glimpse of the rest of the town."

She walked by the library first and made note of what their hours were. She also passed the Aja Winery and told herself to keep in mind of the small period of time when they were open. Again she passed the inn and soon found herself in Rose Square. She suspected that this was where social gathering and the like were held seeing as how large it was. As she finished her circle (or perhaps more of a zigzag pattern) she passed Yodle Farm and the poultry farm. She also saw the Blacksmith's home.

When she arrived at the store again, it was about 10:00 AM. She opened the door and heard the jingle of small bells like the ones many back in the city had. The store was smaller than those you would find in the city and seemed like one of those 'old time' stores. Not that it mattered. She didn't care that much for the city anyway.

"Hi, Tae Hee!" said Karen.

"Oh, hello." She smiled and walked over to the girl.

"You know, Tae Hee is a little hard for me to remember..."

"I-I'm sorry..." she blushed at Karen's comment. _Ah, I knew I should've chosen a new name before coming here!_

"Nah, it's no problem. But would you mind if I called you something a little... different?" Karen said as she appeared to be sorting through different names in her mind.

"Of course not."

"Cool!" said Karen. "How about... Esther?"

"Esther..." she said, trying out this new name of hers. It was like tasting a candy for the first time. It was strange to feel it in her mouth, but the taste was so amazing. She tried it again, "Es... ther?"

"Yeah! That's perfect for you!"

"Oh, thanks so much, Karen!"

"No problem, kiddo! Hey, Dad!" she waved at her dad.

"Mm?" he looked up from the newspaper he was reading at the counter.

"Can we give Esther some seeds?"

He set down his newspaper and pondered this for a moment. "Karen, I'm not so sure--"

"Aww, but Dad!" she said as she stretched the word 'dad' into a five sylable word. "She's just starting! Couldn't you be just a _little _giving?"

Jeff sighed and said, "Oh, alright..."

"Thanks so much, Dad!" Karen rushed over and picked out a bag of grass seeds. "Here you go, Esther!"

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course! Don't worry about my dad." she gave Esther a pat on the back. "Oh yeah, I didn't introduce you yet. This is my dad, Jeff." The man behind the counter gave her a wave. Then a woman came in from the back of the store. "That's my mom, Sasha."

"Well how do you do. You must be Esther, right?"

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you." _She seems very nice. Then again, I think everyone here is. _She smiled and said, "Sorry, but like always, I need to get going. Thank you again for the seeds."

"Bye, Esther!" said Karen.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was admriing the fine seeds as she walked towards the church. _The seeds look very good. I bet they will be very healthy! _She put them in her rucksack then as she entered the church. When she closed the door, there was a cheery "hello" from the front of the church. She looked up and smiled broadly.

"Hello, Carter! How are you?" she said as she approached the front row of pews.

"Oh, I'm doing well, yourself?"

"Good enough," she replied.

"Ah, good to hear. Hopefully God will bless you with many crops."

"Ha, yes, I hope so," she said.

"Pardon me, but would you care to do me a favor?" he asked suddenly.

"A-alright. What is it?"

"See that fellow over there in the brown sitting in the pew? Would you mind introducing yourself to him? He's very shy, so don't mind him if he's a bit quiet at first."

"O... kay," she agreed awkwardly.

"Thank you so much, Tae Hee!" he said.

"Umm... You can call me Esther... Karen decided that it should be my new name..." she said shyly.

"Hm? Ah, I see. Okay. Thank you, Esther." He smiled at her and then continued to go over his sermon for later that day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slowly walking towards him, she took a large gulp to try to clear the lump in her throat. When she was a few feet away, he looked up and stared her. He blushed and continued to stare at her. She blushed and stammered, "H-hello. My name is Tae--I mean, Esther." _It's so hard to get used to a new name sometimes... _she thought.

He looked at her and a small smile formed on his face. "My name is Cliff. It's nice to meet you Esther."

"Ah..." she blushed and thought _He's... really c-cute...! _"Same here..." she felt her face growing hotter by the minute. "Umm... I'll see you later I guess..." she mumbled. She then left the church.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I don't think I've ever felt that nervous before! _Thought Esther as she walked back to her home. _Gah! I must be flustered after having met so many new people. There are still more too!_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Miss Moon Bunny: **Sorry it's a bit shorter than the previous chapter. It's a little bit annoying to have to introduce everyone to her, but well... I have no choice... Ha ha! -ahem- Anyway, there'll be a third and final part to the introductions. (Well, to the characters you first meet.)

I'm also planning to write a Christmas type chapter, if I have time! It won't be related to the story though. (Sorry guys...) I'm also hoping to speed up my updating a bit... Even if it is a long time, have faith that I MAY pull through! (Or maybe not, but keep me on story alert or something, okay?! Cool!)

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy the many to come!

To those whom it may concern: I replied to people's reviews at the top of the page, below the note in bold print. If I left any questions unanswered or you have any concerns about my reply, feel free to message me or give me another review on this chapter and ask your questions again!

_Happy Holidays!_

_Winter 2006_

_---Miss Moon Bunny---_


	3. SPECIAL: A Holiday Romance

Acknowlegements: 

**koryu uchiha **_(The Lovely Reviewer): _Ha ha, that is fun, isn't it? n.n Thank you for another wonderful review! (It made me happy, hee hee.)

**-x-Taylor-x- **_(The Cheery Reviewer): _I really enjoyed your review! -huggles- Aww, hehe... Thank you! n.n -huggles again- LOL Yes, you are definately the cheery reviewer n.n (Your reviews are always so fun to read, hee hee.)

**minikitteno5 **_(The Intelligent Researcher): _Ah, I see. Thankies for reviewing:3 It makes this lil moon bunny happy, ha ha. I hope that all that researching doesn't give you a headache or something XD Heh, I think so. I'm kinda coming up with it as I go (My usual way of going about such things :P)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**SPECIAL: A Holiday Romance  
**_Tagline: A kiss under the misletoe for you and me_

**Miss Moon Bunny: **(So sorry it's late! T-T) I would like to say thanks again to my wonderful reviewing bunny peoplez n.n jeje, thank you!

On another note... this is completely unrelated to the actual story, so this won't follow the plot or anything... Also, I decided to do this chapter from Tae Hee's point of view. Once we return to the regular story however, it will be back to the normal POV. Umm... read on I guess! n.n

P.S.: If you didn't change the link or whatever yet, please do so now (My new pen name is **Miss Moon Bunny** n.n)

**Disclaimer: **I do not take credit for anything other than the creativity used to write this fan fiction--therfore I do not take credit for the Harvest Moon franchise. I'm sure you already knew that though hehe.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The previous night I had stayed up awfully late to write a long letter to my family, telling them about my experiences so far on the farm. When I woke up my clock read 8:00 AM--I had slept in a whole two hours! It wasn't a big deal though. Christmas was in a few weeks, so I was just going to decorate my house today anyway.

I stumbled out of bed and made myself something to eat. Afterwards, I forced myself to get dressed and finally start my day. It was pretty chilly outside, even for early winter. I slipped on my puffy winter coat and went outside.

As I looked around the farm I pondered what I could do to make it look a bit more festive for the holiday season. I had already decided that I would hang up a bunch of lights, because what would Christmas be without lights?

Once everything was decided I went back inside and grabbed my rucksack--which was filled to the brim with lights and other decorations for the holidays. I then went into the barn and got my ladder to stand on.

_I guess I'll start on the house, then move onto the barn and the stable. I'll do the chicken coop last probably. _I thought as I made my way towards my small home.

Unfolding the ladder, I made sure it was stable before untangling the long wire of icicles and climbing on up. As I climbed I prayed that I wouldn't fall. Sure, it wasn't too long of a fall, but it could still be fatal. Once I reached the step just below the top of the ladder I pulled out my hammer and the nails which I had stuffed in my coat pocket. I held the hammer in one hand, the lights in the other hand, and the nail was inbetween my teeth. I somewhat clumsily attached the first bit of lights with the nail. After the first bit was up, it was a little easier to hang the rest.

Once I had finished all of the lights, it was already almost noon. _Wow, time sure does fly out here on the farm. _I thought. I got down off of the ladder and admired the lights. After I had returned the ladder to the barn, I decided to go to the inn for some lunch.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On my way in, I bumped into Cliff--literally.

"Ouch... Sorry..." I mumbled while getting up. Dusting myself off, I realized it was Cliff I had bumped into. "Oh, hi Cliff. Sorry about that... heh..." I could feel my face get slightly warmer with every passing second.

"Oh. It's okay... It was my fault too. Well, I'll see you later." He said with a small smile and went on his way.

After that little incident, I went in the inn and walked up to the counter.

"Good afternoon, Esther," said Doug.

"Hi. Can I have some... hmm... spaghetti, please?"

"Sure. That'll be 200g," he said as he started to put the stuff together for the spaghetti. I pulled 200g out of my rucksack and sat it down on the counter. "You can go sit down. I'll have Ann bring it over when it's done."

"Okay," I said. No one else was there, so I picked a table at random and sat down. Shortly after, Ann bounced over with my food.

"Hey Esther! Mind if I sit with you?" she said as she placed the spaghetti in front of me.

"Of course not."

"Cool!" she said. Ann pulled the chair next to me out and sat down in it. "Are you excited for the holidays?" she asked.

"Uh-huh. Are you?" I replied.

"You bet! I love spending Christmas with my dad here at the inn. It's always lots of fun."

"Yeah. I'm thinking about going back home for a few days to stay with my family over Christmas. I really miss them and I'd hate to celebrate it without them."

"I'm sure you do. Hey, if you do stay in town though... You can always come to the inn and hang out with my dad and I. Cliff might too." I felt a little like crying at that moment.

"You're so kind, Ann," I said. Ann blushed a little and giggled.

"Heh, thanks Esther... You're really kind too!" she said with a big smile plastered on her face.

"Ah... You think so?" I asked unsurely.

"Of course!" she said. "Eep! I'm behind schedule! Sorry, Esther, gotta get going!" I watched as Ann dashed up the stairs to clean the rooms, or whatever it was she did all day.

I chuckled. _Ann is so... Oh, I don't know. She's just... an amazing person. _I thought as I finished off my spaghetti. I then returned the plate and silverware to Doug up at the counter.

"Thanks for the food, Doug. Great as always," I said.

"No problem. Come back any time," Doug replied.

As I left the inn, I looked at my watch and let out a sigh. It really was quite cold today. I gasped when I suddenly remembered the gift I had for Cliff. I rushed back to the farm.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back on the farm, I entered my house and tried to pull a fairly large box out from under my bed. Finally, with a large heave, I was able to pull the box out. The box was plain white and inside was a mini Christmas tree.

Unfortunately, I didn't have anything I could use to wrap it myself, so I would have to take it to the supermarket and get Jeff to wrap it for me. I mean, paying the 100g for the wrapping wasn't much of an issue, but I didn't want anyone to ask about my gift...

So off I was. I had the box in my arms and was sprinting towards the supermarket. If anyone saw me, they wouldn't have enough time to ask me what was inside of the box I was running so fast.

When I got there, I was panting and felt like I could just about topple over. Easing the door open with my back, I looked around the store to find it, other than Jeff, empty.

I slowly made my way towards the wrapping paper at the front of the store. _Well... I guess pink is... okay... _I thought as I realized that they only had pink wrapping paper.

"Umm... excuse me, could you please wrap this for me?" I asked nervously.

"Sure," said Jeff as he walked over from behind the counter. "That'll be 100g."

"Thank you," I said as I handed him the money.

After he had finished wrapping it, I grabbed it and dashed out of the store. Lucky for me, no one had walked in. Encounters thus far... zero! All I had to do was make it to the church and I would be home free.

Just my luck though... Popuri swaggered up to me and said, "Hey Esther! What's that?" Great... Don't get me wrong, Popuri's a good person and all but... She's not the type of person to take no for an answer.

"Er... Hi. This here? Oh... it's just umm... you see... The mayor asked me to drop this off at the church for him. He said that Carter needed it right away and well, he didn't have time to take it over there so..." I lied. _Just maybe she'll--_I thought before my small ounce of hope dried up.

"Why'd he wrap it though...?" she asked.

"U-umm... w-well..." I stuttered. Oh great, now what? Think! Then, as if some light bulb had gone off inside of my head, I said, "It's actually a gift from the mayor to Carter. Y-you see, he didn't want everyone to know, but well... I didn't really have much choice in telling you now did I?"

Popuri laughed heartily. "Ha ha, don't sweat it, Esther. I'll keep it a secret." She winked at me and continued on her way.

_Phew! I thought she had caught me for sure! _I thought as I sprinted towards the church doors. As soon as I had flung them open, I fell to my knees inside the church and mentally cried out, "Salvation!"

I quickly got back up on my feet and quietly crept up to the front pew where Cliff was sitting.

"H-hi Cliff," I said.

"Huh? Oh. Hey Esther. How are you?" he replied while looking a bit flustered.

"I'm pretty good, thank you. How are you?"

"Okay..." he said.

"Oh, umm... I brought you this..." I said blushing. "I h-hope you like i-it..." I stared at my feet while my outstretched arms held the box.

"Ah..." he blushed. "Thanks, Esther," He then smiled at me and took the box.

I looked up briefly and watched as he carefully unwrapped the box. He smiled when he opened the plain white box. "Neat!" he exclaimed.

I couldn't help it. I began laughing. He looked at me puzzled, but then smiled that bashful smile of his and laughed with me.

"I thought you could put it in your room at the inn, you know?" I said while blushing. _Maybe it was a stupid idea... _I thought.

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea," he said.

"Wha... really?" I blushed.

"Uh-huh. Thank you." He gave me a heartfelt smile.

"Y-you're welcome." _That smile of his always gets me... _I thought as a blush crept further across my cheeks.

"Uhh... wanna help me decorate it?" he asked shyly.

"S-sure. When should I come?"

"We can go right now, if you have time," he suggested.

"O-okay."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two of us pulled out the tiny ornaments laying in the bottom of the box. There were many different colored balls. There was also a small box of little hooks to hang them on the tree with.

It didn't take long to decorate the small Christmas tree. Although, we did try to make it last.

"Well, I should probably be going now..." I said. I wanted to stay, but I didn't have any real reason to stay, did I?

"Okay. I'll uhh... walk you to the door," he said.

"Y-you don't have to. It's no big deal." I was blushing furiously.

"No, it's not a problem," he said as he began to walk out of the room.

I figured it was no use trying to protest, so I followed him out. Little did we know of the surprise awaiting us...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Esther. Hiya Cliff. What'cha been doing?" inquired Ann as she skipped over to us.

"We were decorating a Christmas tree," said Cliff.

"Oooh, neat!" By now Ann had a large grin plastered on her face and I could've sworn I saw a mischievious glint in her eyes for just a split second. "By the way, did you guys happen to see what's on the ceiling...?" She asked.

Both of us looked up. We both then quickly looked down at the floor and blushed. Ann had definately gotten us... _Mistletoe... _I thought dreadfully. _W-well, maybe we don't have to... I mean--_but before I could finish this thought I felt a small peck on my cheek. _Wh-what? _I thought, utterly confused. Refocusing on what was going on, I saw Ann grinning at me and Cliff with his head down, staring at the floor. I blushed and wondered what I should do.

"Well? Didn't you hear me, Esther?," she asked as she waved a hand in front of my face. She let out a sigh and continued, "I said, usually two people kiss on the lips, but since you guys aren't actually an item or anything, I'm letting you off with a kiss on the cheek each," she said. "Your turn, Esther."

_Argh... I guess I don't have much of a choice... Besides, Cliff went first so..._ I clenched my fists at my sides and took a deep breath.

It was over in an instant. Although, both kisses would probably linger in our minds for some time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Miss Moon Bunny: **So here we are, at the end of the special. Sad, I know. But! Have no fear! For I have added an extra lil tidbit! Keep reading for...

**A CLOSER LOOK AT TAE HEE SEO**

Name: Tae Hee, Seo (pronounciation: Tae - Tay; Hee - he; Seo - Suh)  
Nickname: Esther (which will generally be used in the story after chapter one. I think...)  
Ethnic: Korean  
Role: The new farmer. She is not the same one as the blonde girl (the one you play as) in the girls' version of HM:FoMT. (Sorry this was not mentioned earlier on.)  
Likes: Bamboo shoots, chocolate, riceballs, rice cakes, noodles, moon dumplings, berries, grape juice, fried rice, ice cream, popcorn, milk, strawberry milk, cookies, potatoes, corn, eggs, flowers, jewlery  
Dislikes: Mushrooms, red grass, poisonous mushrooms, truffles, weeds  
Other Information: She came from a crowded city in Korea. Although she lived there, she enjoyed the quiet life on the farm much more than she had enjoyed the one in the city. She has a mother, father, and an older brother.

**SHORT INTERVIEW WITH TAE HEE**

**Miss Moon Bunny: **Have you had any previous experience on a farm?  
**Tae Hee: **Yes. My grandparents owned a farm and my family and I would go on trips to the farm when I was younger. My uncle also had a farm, as I'm sure you already knew. I used to help him tend to the animals sometimes. I didn't really have any actual farm experience with planting crops though.

**MMB: **What did the farm look like when you first arrived?  
**TH: **It looked like a tornado had hit it. There were tons of sticks, rocks, and weeds all over. There were even some large stumps and boulders in the field. A lot of it is still there, but I'll have it gone in the next couple of weeks I bet.

**MMB: **So you've met a few of your possible future husbands. What did you think of them?  
**TH: **Well... -blush- They all seem really nice I guess...  
**MMB: **Indeed. And what about Cliff, eh? Got a lil flustered there in the previous chapter... -wink-  
**TH: **-blush- Ah... Like I said, it was just from meeting so many new people all of a sudden  
**MMB: **I'm sure it was -rolls eyes-

**MMB: **And that is the end of my short interview with Tae Hee.  
**TH: **-phew-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Miss Moon Bunny: **Okay, I hope it wasn't too horrible! (I really did try to rush and get it done before New Year's, but I wasn't able to work on it last night when I had planned to! T-T Sorry... But I hope you enjoyed it ;) I know the ending may have been a little weird, and I did think about writing more, but I decided to leave it at that. (It almost gives me a cliff hanger feeling XD but it's not supposed to be, nor would I consider it one. Anyway...) Thank you very much for reading this chapter!


End file.
